MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has been covering Major League Baseball since 1981 and is the author of "Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Cubs." You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Here, she blogs about the Cubs.

8/17 Zambrano's abs

Carlos Zambrano apparently didn’t like to do stomach exercises. That will change, he says. Big Z admitted Sunday the problem is that he’s been “lazy,” and promised to re-dedicate himself to a routine designed to strengthen his stomach muscles.

The Cubs pitcher, who has not started since an abbreviated outing Aug. 1 against Florida, will make a rehab start Thursday for Class A Peoria. If that goes well, he’ll open the Cubs’ next homestand Aug. 25 against Washington. So far this month, with the Cubs scrambling to stay in the race in the NL Central, Zambrano has made one start, lasted three innings, and faced 16 batters.

“My problem is I’ve been lazy,” Zambrano said. “There are things in life you don’t like to do, but you have to do them. I don’t like abs [abdominal muscle workouts], but I have to do them. I have to start doing them every day and be serious about it.”

Zambrano admitted he has done his exercises, but not with the conviction needed.

“I’ve got to be honest with me and with you [media] guys and the fans. I’m 28 years old, I’m not 16 anymore,” Zambrano said. “I’m a big guy and I work hard every day, [but] one of the things I don’t like to do is my abs, my core work. If I do abs every day and keep doing my job and be serious about my abs, I’ll be OK.”

– Carrie Muskat

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Frankly the Cubs are paying this guy 18,750,000 this year to sit on his lazy butt and do nothing! You are a professional baseball player with no real reponsibilities. Thus, you are expected to be an athlete and keep your body finely tuned! Players like Big Z digust me! he needs to realize how truely lucky he is to play a game in the beautiful city of Chicago for a living. Start working hard

As is Jim Hendry a professional major leage GM and he should keep his mind finely tuned, which as we can see he is not from overpaying Zambrano (from Hendry’s fear of losing a “superstar-stud-ace” to free agency) in money and length of contract, the same case goes for Soriano and this year Bradley. Hendry is slipping drastically. His panic driven free agent signings and deals are going to be the downfall of this organization. Should the Cubs win anything this year it will not be because Hendry signed a defensivley challanged, aging, one dimensional left fielder or a sub-par defensive head case right fielder. Who would begin a world championship run with such two highly over-rated corner outfielders? If we win anything this year it will be by sheer luck….and the next 2 years with both Soriano and Bradley? And THEN another 3 years with Soriano??? Good Lord. And Miles???? I mean really Jim, why would any GOOD GM spend MAJOR LEAGUE MONEY for a player of Miles’ skills when you can get THAT kind of talent from just about ANY minor league system…INCLUDING YOUR OWN!!!! A GOOD GM WOULDN’T.

Thanks jonah_hex, I sure hope Z keeps his word too, this may be the crossroads of his career…he can remain a good pitcher that can count on a good team to help him get his 12-15 wins a year or he can be a great pitcher that a good team can count on getting them to the playoffs year after year. Can you imagine a DEDICATED Big Z AND a savvy GM for the Cubs? THEN we may get to the World Series.

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